Technical approach to FF-ICE planning and global harmnization through IIH&V

In the current Air Traffic Management (ATM) environment, there is an information access asymmetry between the flight crew and stakeholders on the ground. In many cases, the flight crew, dispatchers, and air traffic manager do not readily have access to updated relevant information to collaborate in determining favorable trajectories for individual flights. This information collaboration between air crew, their dispatchers, and air traffic manager is constrained by current communication capabilities. Air/ground System Wide Information Management (SWIM) concept of operations offers a solution to overcome this communication challenge in the future. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in collaboration with industry stakeholders conceived, planned and executed an Aircraft Access to SWIM (AAtS) demonstration project to determine the feasibility of air-ground communications. The demonstration was conducted in two phases and a series of scenarios of increasing complexity leading up to initial 4-Dimensaional Trajectory (4DT) preferences exchange. Phase 1 demonstrated the ability to share advisory information with the flight crew by utilizing existing commercial data links and hardware in the flight deck. Phase 2 demonstrated the feasibility of bi-directional information exchange between aircraft and ground systems via the SWIM Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). The SOA included data management service provider (DMSP), data link provider (DLP), and electronic flight bag (EFB) with software applications. The final 4DT preference exchange scenario demonstration was completed in October 2016. This paper discusses the concepts, assumptions, communication scenarios and results of the AAtS demonstration project. The lessons learned through the AAtS demonstration provide meaningful considerations for guidance on future air-ground information sharing and collaborative decision-making environment.

This paper addresses topics concerning the development of future Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) so that they can operate safely within the community of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Studies by the Defense Science Board; the Office of Science and Technology; Government Accountability Office; and the Congressional Research Service: Library of Congress; have all emphasized that soon there will be a significant number of UAVs operating sideby- side with manned civil aircraft in the FAA’s National Airspace System (NAS). It is anticipated that future UAVs will start to perform many of the dull, dirty, and dangerous civilian missions. In 2006, about 600 UAVs are expected to be manufactured in the US alone. Therefore, there is an urgent need for developers of UAVs to understand safety certification for operations in the NAS, and that safety certification starts with the safety requirements; safety design; safe development process; safety verification; and safe operating procedures in the planned operational environment. This paper presents and discusses the experiences and lessons gained by the authors on the development of end-toend aviation safety; from the safety requirements to their final safety certification in the planned operational environment. The authors’ previous and ongoing works include the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) systems such as the GPS; WAAS; LAAS; MSAS; GPS III; and different operational environments at different airports such as Incheon International Airport. The FAA started with the two traditional safety certifications processes: airborne system certification and ground system certification; governed mostly by Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) and FAA’s Acquisition Management System (AMS), respectively. However, when FAA started to implement GNSS, the lines between airborne and ground systems became blurred, and as a result many current Communications, Navigation, Surveillance, and Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) systems have to follow both processes. We will also discuss the current Safety Management Systems being developed by both FAA and ICAO as an integrated, systematic, and harmonized approach and process to sort out the differing safety requirements from FAA, SAE-ARP, MIL-STD, RTCA, ASTM, ICAO, etc. to provide the eventual safe operations within the NAS. The discussion will then focus on the real world of institutional, operational, and technical issues for safety certification worldwide. Despite the numerous standards and guidance documents, many past safety analyses and studies were guided by best practices that had been used successfully in the past to streamline the process of providing all the required documentations and verifications. One such area is in the use of the “Integrity Panel of Experts” that had been used successful in the implementation of safety for the FAA’s Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) programs. In many areas of the world, safety certification from a technical point of view is only the first step to achieving safety certification to fly in their national and sovereign airspace. Finally, we will show the first steps that UAV manufactures need to consider if they want their UAVs to be approved to fly safely in different national civilian airspace.

With the rapid increase in local and global air traffic, the system-wide operational information exchange and life-cycle management technologies are required to improve the capacity, safety and efficiency of Air Traffic Management (ATM) system. The System Wide Information Management (SWIM) concept is to change the conventional ATM information architecture from point-to-point data exchanges to system-wide interoperability. In this paper, the concept, architecture and design technologies of a real-time oriented multi-layer SWIM system architecture for service assurance are discussed. Moreover, to promote the development of SWIM, the project of Mini Global demonstration has been conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to exchange air transportation information among different Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) by using standardized information exchange models. This paper also introduces the results of this demonstration and the lessons learned from this experience.

This paper builds on top of a collaborative ATFM framework previously published, which demonstrated a potential in significant pre-tactical system delay reduction over the current European ATFM practices. In this paper, we aim to raise the technology readiness level (TRL) of the original works, focusing on improving the tractability of its DCB optimizer. To this end, we apply a Dantzig-Wolfe (DW) decomposition approach and use high performance computing (HPC) techniques to attempt the solution in a short time. The main contribution of this paper is to mitigate the computational burden faced by previous approaches, which will make all the contributions demonstrated therein more operationally feasible.

System Wide Information Management(SWIM), as envisioned by theSingle European Sky Air Traffic Management Research(SESAR) program, is the application of service oriented architectures to the air traffic management domain. Service oriented architectures are widely deployed in business and finance but usually tied to one specific technological implementation. SWIM goes one step further by defining only the semantic layer of the application integration and leaving the implementation of the communication layer open to the implementer. The shift from legacy communication patterns to SWIM is fundamental for the expected evolution of air traffic management in the next decades. However, the air traffic management simulators currently in use do not reflect this yet. SWIM compliance is defined by semantic compatibility to theAir Traffic Management Information Reference Model(AIRM) and a SWIM service may implement one or more communication profiles, which specify a communication layer implementation. This work proposes a SWIM-compliant communication profile suitable to integrate SWIM-compliant tools into human-in-the-loop simulations for air traffic management research. We achieve this objective by implementing a SWIM communication profile using XML-based multicast messaging and extending the message format to support distributed human-in-the-loop simulations. We demonstrate our method by the evaluation of Hamburg Airport operations.

In the background of the globalized interaction needs of civil aviation information services, the definition of System Wide Information Management (SWIM) was proposed by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). However, the issue of interaction between traditional business systems and heterogeneous systems still exists on the SWIM platform. The data adapter is an important functional component to solve this problem, which can not only solve the problems of high coupling among systems, poor compatibility, low sensitivity, non-standard syntax and poor semantics, but also realize the high sharing of information between systems. Based on the SWIM platform, this article redefines SWIM. First, this article analyzes the concept and architecture of SWIM as well as the role and logical architecture of adapters. Then, according to the requirements of the adapter, a design method of the adapter structure is proposed, and the process design methods of the two main functional modules, data transformation and service encapsulation, are proposed respectively, including data standard and service standard. Extensible Markup Language (XML) technology is a platform independent language, 90% of systems support XML, it is self-descriptive and extensible, suitable for storage and transport on the network, therefore it is the preferred language for software development and is important for the design of SWIM data adapter. Finally, the data adapter is designed and implemented.KeywordsSWIMAdapterData conversionService encapsulation

Before 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) did not allow airmen to exercise the privileges of pilot in command (PIC) of an aircraft or obtain a medical certificate if one had been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, and/or taking an SSRI medication. Since 2010, the FAA relaxed its views and certification standards. However, this is not an issue unique to the U.S. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other ICAO States began evaluating airmen suffering from anxiety, depression, and/or taking an SSRI medication in early 2000. ICAO and most ICAO States have identified the need for further research regarding mood disorders and airmen. In addition, ICAO has issued guidance regarding certification standards, though each ICAO State has the authority to set its own standards. While the FAA and the other ICAO States have accepted mood disorders in aviation as a reality, additional work is needed to unify standards within the international aviation community. ICAO States with more stringent standards, may force airmen to seek alternative treatment options and not disclose crucial medical information or seek appropriate treatment options in fear of reprisal. In 2018, a qualitative study was conducted that evaluated FAA medical certification standards for airmen suffering from mood disorders and compared them against medical certification standards of other ICAO State agencies and ICAO recommended practices. This qualitative study also evaluated U.S. pilot perceptions of the certification process, as well as views from a non-aviation medical physician using interviews and survey questionnaires. Responses were compared to current practices and evaluated. Findings from this study concluded that while FAA certification standards may be comparable to other ICAO States, general views regarding agency acceptance of mental health disorders can vary widely across State agencies.

Currently, the airport surface is one of the most difficult areas for a flight crew to navigate, especially at large complex airports. Taxi instructions are communicated through Ultra High Frequency / Very High Frequency (UHF/VHF) radio communications from the air traffic controller to the flight deck [1]. Frequency congestion at major airports increases difficulty conveying taxi instructions. The challenges of effective communication for ground controllers and pilots due to a single method of communication to many aircraft are clearly present in the current state. Flight crews may experience limitations to visibility and signage, or have a lack of reference to surface destinations, further complicating surface navigation. The combination of lengthy detailed taxi instructions, issuing instructions multiple times, radio frequency congestion, and unfamiliarity with the airport can result in a complex environment for the flight crew.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is interested in improving clarity and delivery of taxi instructions through automation in the tower and the flight deck, focusing on Part 121 aircraft at larger airports. Current research interests will focus on developing capabilities and procedures to digitize taxi instructions on a Ground Control (GC) application and deliver the taxi instructions to the flight deck’s Electronic Flight Bag (EFB). Development of digital taxi instruction concepts and infrastructure should leverage existing National Airspace System (NAS) systems and procedures and identify gaps for further exploration. Digital taxi instructions may improve instruction clarity with minimal voice exchanges and clarifications from the GC before a common understanding is reached. Also, the flight deck will have less "head down" time processing taxi instructions, increasing surface situational awareness.This paper will provide initial research on the use of connected aircraft to support digital taxi instructions. The initial scope and future potential capabilities will be discussed. Identification of the functional hierarchy to realize digital taxi instruction capabilities will be reviewed. The concept has identified data elements and message sets that could be integrated into the digital taxi applications via System Wide Information Management (SWIM). Current exchange models like Flight Information Exchange Model (FIXM) should be considered for handling the message sets. Lastly, initial benefits of digital taxi instruction have been identified.

With the advent of the era of big data, aviation big data is gradually being applied in the aviation industry. As a component of aviation cloud, System Wide Information Management (SWIM) carries a large amount of data interaction and sharing. The security and continuity of SWIM directly affect the stability of civil aviation transportation and in turn affect the quality of service throughout the aviation industry. SWIM provides standards, infrastructure and governance, enabling information exchange between SWIM-enabled applications. Consequently, SWIM must guarantee the survivability of all services between different Air Traffic Management (ATM) departments. In this paper, we describe the threats and risks faced by SWIM, put forward a survivability scheme and evaluate its feasibility through experiments.

System Wide Information Management (SWIM) including SWIM Registry for Air Traffic Management (ATM) has been successfully developed and applied in Europe and United States. The most developing countries have just started to study the employment of SWIM concept, which its establishment is required prior to the development of SWIM Registry. In this paper, we introduce the experience of the development of SWIM Registry Brazil, which comprises the study of the architecture, components, services and data accessing. In order to encourage consumers and providers to participate in the SWIM community, we developed a prototype of SWIM Registry Demonstration for the Brazilian ATM society. We propose a model based on Blockchain for managing services currently provided by Brazilian ATM in order to certificate operations which are performed by consumers, authorities and involved stakeholders. The proposed model is expected to provide services for SWIM Registry with integrity, efficiency, security and authenticity, which are fundamental for the proper operation of Brazilian aviation system.

This paper describes the results of the FP6 project SWIM-SUIT (System Wide Information Management -- Supported by Innovative Technologies) that currently integrates a number of existing ATM (Air Traffic Management) systems on top of a newly build prototype. As SWIM-SUIT has been identified to provide relevant inputs to SESAR, the authors give an overview on the prototype architecture and major software components. The relevant data domains for the prototype are Flight Data, Surveillance Data and Aeronautical Information. The paper provides insights and lessons learned derived from the design decisions of the prototype implementation as guidance for future work to take place within SESAR. The last part of the paper presents a view on the ongoing validation activities that connect ATM systems throughout Europe to the SWIM-SUIT prototype

This paper describes the results of the FP6 project SWIM-SUIT (System Wide Information Management - Supported by Innovative Technologies) that currently integrates a number of existing ATM (Air Traffic Management) systems on top of a newly build prototype. As SWIM-SUIT has been identified to provide relevant inputs to SESAR, the authors give an overview on the prototype architecture and major software components. The relevant data domains for the prototype are Flight Data, Surveillance Data and Aeronautical Information. The paper provides insights and lessons learned derived from the design decisions of the prototype implementation as guidance for future work to take place within SESAR. The last part of the paper presents a view on the ongoing validation activities that connect ATM systems throughout Europe to the SWIM-SUIT prototype.

The 4D trajectory management program will require a major shift in infrastructure and operational management processes to deliver accurate and reliable information to trajectory management team. As a result, air traffic management operation will demand Network Enabled Operations (NEO) concepts such as the System Wide Information Management (SWIM) framework to ensure that the decisions are made with the correction information at the right time. SWIM provides standards, infrastructure, and governance practices to allow information exchanging through interoperable services. Consequently, SWIM must provide methods to (a) integrate a large variety of data; (b) filter information in a way that only the relevant ones are retained to explain the results; (c) enable National Airspace System (NAS) operators, pilots, controllers, and traffic flow specialists to extract value of air traffic systems in real-time; and (d) to seek and explore complex and evolving data's relationships. However, SWIM still lacks support to deal with big data analytics and to aggregate computing resources on-demand. As the main contribution of this paper, we describe the challenges and new focuses of SWIM researches. Likewise, we present an architecture to enable big data analytics services in SWIM. The proposed architecture relies on big data processing frameworks to handle data acquisition and data filtering on near-real time taking into account users' objectives; and to guarantee that the data go through all the gives stage of the life cycle of ATM applications, avoiding the silos that may happen in each data analysis stage.

The channel capacities of simplex and duplex VHF air/ground (A/G) mobile radio communication systems employing cylindrical cells are compared considering co-channel and adjacent channel interferences criteria currently adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). According to ICAO recommendations, the co-channel interference source must be beyond the radio line-of-sight (RLOS) of the receiver. The FAA co-channel interference criterion requires a signal-to-interference ratio of at least 14 dB or beyond RLOS protection. Capacity depends mainly on the frequency reuse distance. In order to prevent air-to-air interference, simplex systems using the same frequency for air-to-ground and ground-to-air require a larger frequency reuse distance than duplex systems which do not require air-air interference since different frequency bands are used for uplink and downlink communications. A comparison is presented between the capacities of the two systems. It is shown that the capacity ratio of the two systems depends on the cell dimensions. It is concluded that the duplex system has more capacity than the simplex system for cells of large radii and small heights.

In order to achieve safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally sustainable air traffic management at global, regional and local levels, a collaborative environment for system-wide flight and flow information exchange is required. Therefore, the new provisions to enable a richer set of information exchange prior to departure between different aviation stakeholders with new flight planning and filing capabilities has been structured by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). This collaborative information exchange will enable a common operational picture for all related stakeholders in order to improve strategic planning. However, with the different conditions, it is difficult for all air traffic management service providers to transform from the current operation to the new operation and not all airspace users will adopt the changes at the same time. To validate the impact of changes for potential implementation of new provisions, the project of international validation has been conducted. In this paper, the observations and analysis of validation exercises consisting of Tabletop exercises and Lab exercises related to the regional implementation will be reported. Moreover, the operational processes, procedures, and automation changes required for new provisions implementation between related aviation stakeholders are clarified. Finally, the problems and challenges for constructing the collaborative operating environment to include interactions of related stakeholders using data, systems, and services through a system-wide information management environment are discussed.